Standing at an impressive 6″2 and weighing in at 175ibs, Massillon, Ohio based wide receiver Jayden Ballard is an exciting prospect and the latest in a line of great recruits for the Ohio Buckeyes. Highly regarded as a future NFL prospect, Ballard attended high school in Washington before signing onto the OSU 2021 recruiting class.

What Makes Jayden Ballard a Great Prospect

Jayden Ballard is impressive in stature and through the Ohio fitness program, will undoubtedly look to bulk up, increasing his physical presence. Interestingly, he is something of an all rounder with an impressive athletic history, including playing Basketball but it is Football that he really excels at. Ballard has the potential to make it as the number one choice receiver for the college football team due to his very natural passing ability, impressive ball tracking, respectable speed and deep ball threat. Ballard was a huge standout performed in his respective classes in 2019 and 2020 making him a key target for the OSU recruitment class. The wide receiver was very impressive during the Opening showcasing his impressive skills and riveting potential. Still just a Sophomore, the receiver is boosted by his youth, his talent having caught stares since his breakout year in 2018. Away from the field, Ballard has been praised for his exceptional athleticism and is highly regarded as a very intelligent, polite student with a great academic future as well as that of his budding football potential. He is very popular amongst teammates and has built a fantastic reputation for his outstanding work ethic.

Ballard Had 20 Scholarship Offers

Ohio Buckeyes had to fend off over twenty other offers for Jayden Ballard to secure his services, testament to the fantastic future many believe he will have. The four star rated talent currently ranks as the 125th best prospect in the country, as well as the fifth best player currently in the state of Ohio. Unsurprisingly Ballard received offers from Notre Dame, Michigan State, Washington State, Maryland, Boston College and Pittsburgh. However it was Ohio Buckeyes that drew in the rare physical talent. It was his visit to Ohio on 21st June that was enough to convince him of its draw and he committed there are then, publicly declaring his commitment to the Buckeyes. Despite several alternative offers, Ohio always stood a great chance with Jayden Ballard due to a history of playing in the state. The connection has always been there and that in itself undoubtedly boosted the teams chances of his capture.

Ohio States 2021 Class

In regards to what his recruitment means for the OSU recruiting class of 2021, his press speaks for itself. It is widely believed that Ballard will be something of a special capture for the team with the potential to really make a difference. He offers great promise and is the kind of received the Buckeyes were really searching for to feed off their impressive quarterback Kyle McCord. Moving forward, Ballard is undoubtedly one of the most exciting captures so far for the Ohio State recruiting class of 2021. There is much excitement surrounding the potential that he has and having already made quite the name for himself, it is easy to understand why.

Photo by Jeffrey Beall

2011 – Cleveland Browns
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 21 Phillip Taylor DT Baylor
Over drafted and over weight Played 4 seasons with CL out of FB. BUST!
2 37 Jabaal Sheard DE Pittsburgh
was drafted as a 4/3 end but CL changed to 3/4 & he was fish out of water. Starts for NE
2 59 Greg Little WR North Carolina
was released after 3 seaons was cut by 4 other teams as well. BUST
4 102 Jordan Cameron TE USC
Played 4 seasons for CL caught 80 balls in 13 but concussions limited him. Plays for MI now
4 124 Owen Marecic RB Stanford
Played 2 yrs with CL Avg 2.0 y/att not much of a blocker either.
5 137 Buster Skrine DB Tennessee-Chattanooga
Played 4 seasons for CL Started 2 spent too much time picking dasies to be resigned. NJ now.
5 150 Jason Pinkston T Pittsburgh
Played 1.5  seasons for CL Retired due to blood clots
7 248 Eric Hagg DB Nebraska
Too slow to be a S & too light to be LB. OUT OF FB.

2012 – Cleveland Browns
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 3 Trent Richardson RB Alabama
Traded in 13 to IN for a 1st round pick Failed with both teams never averaged 4y/at DOUBLE BUST.
1 22 Brandon Weeden QB Oklahoma State
St 15 games in 12, but just 10 after that with 3 teams. PR 76.0 C% 57.9 BUST
2 37 Mitchell Schwartz T California
Started 4 yrs for CL & 1 for KC.
3 87 John Hughes DT Cincinnati
played 5 yrs for CL Startg 10g picked up by TB in 16 & played 6 games CL should have kept Winn.
4 100 Travis Benjamin WR Miami (Fla.)
Played 4 s for CL catching 68 pass in 15 CL kept WR Hawkins Signed with SD & caught 48 in 16
4 120 James-Michael Johnson LB Nevada-Reno
Played half season for CL & 5 other teams BUST
5 160 Ryan Miller T Colorado
Played 1 season for CL with 0 starts. BUST
6 204 Emmanuel Acho LB Texas
Productive in Col but never played for CL. Was cut & picked up by PH Played 3 seasons there.
6 205 Billy Winn DT Boise State
Started 10 g in 12 but was reserve after that. Cut him & kept Hughes. Played for DV last year 2 starts.
7 245 Trevin Wade CB Arizona
Played just 1 year for CL then for 2 other teams WITH NG now.
7 247 Brad Smelley RB Alabama
played 2 games for CL & 2 for HO BUST
2013 – Cleveland Browns
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 6 Barkevious Mingo OLB LSU
Was too light to set the edge. Even NE couldn’t get anything out of him. CL traded him for a 5th round pick
3 68 Leon McFadden CB San Diego State
Barely a reserv, he was on 5 rosters BUST
6 175 Jamoris Slaughter SS Notre Dame
Never played with any team BUST
7 217 Armonty Bryant DE East Central (OK)
Sold marijuana to a narc but had talent. Cut in 16 after being suspended for PED. Played for DT in 16 3SAC
7 227 Garrett Gilkey G Chadron State
Cut before 13 season BUST

2014 – Cleveland Browns
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 8 Justin Gilbert CB Oklahoma State
Never saw a tackle he wanted to make. 0 heart Given to PT for 6th rnd pick in 18 cut by PT.
1 22 Johnny Manziel QB Texas A&M
Head case & drunk, TOTAL BUST.
2 35 Joel Bitonio T Nevada
Good talent that has been inj last 2 years.
3 71 Christian Kirksey OLB Iowa
Started in 16 Got 148 tackles for a team that was 31 vs run. Too many were 5yards down field.
3 94 Terrance West RB Towson
Played 1 year @ CL, went to TN then BA Started 13 games in 16.
4 127 Pierre Desir CB Lindenwood
Was cut after 2 seasons with CL Has now played for 4 teams in 3 years
fa Isaiah Crowell RB Alab St.
STARTER averaged 4.8 last yr despite no blocking on O line.

2015 – Cleveland Browns
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 12 Danny Shelton DT Washington
Finally got going after 1st year of little production
1 19 Cameron Erving T Florida State
Staff screwed him by playing 4 possions in 1st year BUST
2 51 Nate Orchard DE Utah
Played 3 games in 16 starting just 1. too light & needs more strength,  Can’t set the edge.
3 77 Duke Johnson RB Miami (Fla.)
3rd down RB with 114 c in 2 yrs. Good hands & 4.2 y/at runing.
3 96 Xavier Cooper DT Washington State
ST 2 game in 2 yrs with CL. Not much results for a 3rd round pick.
4 115 Ibraheim Campbell SAF Northwestern
Dasie picking S that has 0 ability to diagnoise plays St 9 gms in 2 years
4 123 Vince Mayle WR Washington State
WR that couldn’t catch. Never played for CL 3 teams in 2 years.
6 189 Charles Gaines CB Louisville
Never was that played 1 year for CL now on BF roster.
6 195 Malcolm Johnson TE Mississippi State
Star 5 games for CL 1 c 2y is now a RB for SE BUST
6 198 Randall Telfer TE USC
DNP in 15 but started 5 game in 16 2 catches 4y ACT
7 219 Hayes Pullard LB USC
Never played for CL Signed by JK & is currently with them.
7 241 Ifo Ekpre-Olomu CB Oregon
Good risk on a seriously injured but very talented player.

Cleveland Draft 2016
“1-15 Corey Coleman WR
Short without any route tree background
“2-32 Emmanuel Ogbah DE
Too light for a DE in a 3/4 & not athletic enough to play OLB.
“3-65 Carl Nassib DE
Too light for a DE in a 3/4 & not athletic enough to play OLB.
“3-76 Shon Coleman OT
Great story coming back from cancer but will he get it again? Late round pick /fa on my board
“3-93 Cody Kessler QB?
Too small with a weak arm. That does not work in Cleveland.
“4-99 Joe Schobert OLB
DE in college without speed to play OB in NFL.
“4-114 Ricardo Louis WR
Size & some speed Has potential but did not show it in 16
4-129 Derrick Kindred FS
Big hitter without the body to survive in NFL.
4-138 Seth Devalve TE
WAY too high for him FA at best.
5-154 Jordan Payton WR
Good hands but no speed. PED SUSPENSION
5-168 Spencer Drango OG
Can’t trust spread O linemen to be able to block in the NFL
5-172 Rashard Higgins WR
Pro style O with decent hands. Drop the “Hollywood” moniker
5-173 Trey Caldwell S
Undersized Under achiever FA at best
7-250 Scooby Wright ILB
Love his intangibles but has physical limitations.

Note: On NNR today Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports & I reviewed the trades and free agent signings. The podcast is on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

So far in the Browns off season from hell they have signed a backup QB and yet another #2 wide receiver. At least Brian Hartline is taller than most of the receivers on the roster.

There is almost no chance that the Browns can land an above average WR with the list of quarterbacks on the roster. Wide-outs want a stable offensive system with a QB that they trust to get them the ball. The Browns have neither of those qualities.

GM Ray Farmer missed a chance to bring in a true #1 WR in Kenny Stills. He has speed and size. Since the team has struggled to bring in FA wide-outs, getting a young player with 2 years left on his 5th round salary by a trade would have been huge. But the Dolphins got the deal.

The frustration of Browns fans everywhere is that despite having a ton of cap space, the Browns seem to be hording it. There is no question that the Browns lack of stability means that they will have to over pay to get any FA particularly those on offense. They could get some quality players on defense however.

While there has been a lot of instability on offense, the defense has been good and could get better with the addition of free agents. But the Browns either can’t attract free agents or decide which they should pursue. Whichever is the case, they must at least try to recruit free agents to improve the team. But as we know they won’t.

That is what I think. Tell us what you think by commenting here or tweeting me @NNRonDSN.

NOTE: News, Notes and Rumors podcast are BACK. Check out our thoughts on Fridays about the games coming up and Monday on the results of the weekend. My co-host is Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports. Podcasts can be heard on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/. Thanks for your support.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels on and a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/. Follow him on twitter @NNRonDSN to get the schedule of Special News, Notes and Rumors broadcasts. You can hear the previous shows on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

He also edits .

To keep up with the News, Notes & Rumors podcasts, follow me on twitter @NNRonDSN.

CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 23: Wide receiver Josh Cribbs #16 of the Cleveland Browns is tackled by wide receiver Brad Smith #16 and and strong safety Da’Norris Searcy #25 of the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 23, 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Bills defeated the Browns 24-14. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Live game notes Week 8 Browns vs Chargers

Marecic is a healthy scratch.  Maybe the coaching staff is finally waking up to the fact he can’t block, run or catch.

The only way deferring on the coin toss helps is if the D can stop the Chargers and get good field position for the O.

JMJ is playing well but Maiava is too slow to be a starter on a good team.

Three straight runs give the Chargers a first down.

Haden missed the tackle on Floyd but the WR went out of bounds anyway.  THAT is why he will not be a top WR.

The first drive is right down the Browns throats.

The Chargers got greedy and it cost them.  TJ Ward is much more valuable at the LOS than in coverage.   He came in unblocked to stop the 4^th down play.

–

The play calling by Shumur is no better.  The 1 yard pass was stupid.

The Browns got bailed out by the penalty.  Otherwise it would have been 3 and out.

TRich is running hard and the bigger WRs are doing a nice job blocking down field.

The O line is not punch blocking to allow the quick slant to get through.  That is a coaching issue.

Weeden did a great job finding Ogbonnaya with the pass on 3^rd and long.  Weeden is keeping his eyes down field under pressure which is critical to his future development.

The wind is playing havoc with both passers.  It knocked down the pass to Gordon in the endzone.

TRich showed why they drafted him with the 3^rd pick.  Great run for the TD.  Lauvao helped a lot by rebalancing him as he broke free.

=CL 7 SD 0

Bad challenge by Shurmur.  You don’t challenge a 5 yard pass.  Challenges are way too valuable.

Good defensive effort to get the punt.  Stevens is out with a neck injury.

–

After an 8 yard pass the Browns go 3 and out failing to get 2 yards in 2 tries.

=

Weddle is an outstanding S and got a great punt return.

MLB Jackson got a good hit on the ball and the Browns get the TO.  DT Winn is having an outstanding year.  He recovered it.

–

The Chargers are weak on the edges and the Browns need to attack them more than the middle.

The double reverse blows up in Shurmur’s face.  Too cute by a half.  Why would you call a double reverse between guys that had not practiced together in this kind of weather?

The team ended up wasting the TO.

=

Bad punt followed by a sack by Winn and a tackle for loss.

Young knocks down the pass and the Chargers go 3 and out.

–

The Throw back jerseys are perfect for Pitts.  They all should be wearing prison stripes.

A bad punt by SD gave the Browns good field position.

A penalty gives the Browns a 1^st in SD territory.

Ogbonnaya took his eyes off the screen pass on 3^rd and 7.  Browns drive ends with a decent short punt OB at the 12.

=

Two runs give SD a first.

Ward is playing too close to the LOS.  Watch for a long pass to TE.

Young takes the RB out of the screen pass and 2^nd down pass fails.

DQ Jackson struggles in coverage.  He failed to get Brown in time to prevent the 1^st down.

Young covered Floyd well preventing the long completion.

Ward gets to Rivers and the pass is incomplete.  SD got some yards and a couple of firsts but did not get past their 40.

–

The Browns commit yet another special teams penalty and lose field position.  This happens WAY too often.

TRich is again sent up the gut for no yards.  All his best runs against SD have been on the edge

Nice catch by Cameron.

Gordon gets open again.  Makes the first and YAC.  Weeden is showing much stronger arm than Rivers.  I wonder if there is something wrong with Rivers’ arm.

TRich’s runs show his patients and vision.  Outstanding 2 runs in a row.

Greco has proven he is an OK backup but he struggles to get the outside blitzer across the formation.  The O line is playing better now than early in the season.

=

Browns fail to jam on the 1^st down throw.

Rivers has thrown a lot more this year to the RBs than to either TEs or WR.  I do think he has an arm issue.  You would expect that the D would be paying a lot of attention to the RBs but they don’t seem to be.

Brown runs to the Browns’ 33 for a 1^st .  SD is driving right down the field.  The Browns tend with 2 minutes left to play too loose.

The Chargers get a FG to cut the half time score to 7-3 CL.

–

=

Another good return called back by a penalty.  When will special teams coach Tabor get canned?

Again the Browns are trying to run up the gut rather than going to the edge.  Bad choice

Little with a catch.  He did much better last week than he had earlier in the season.

Another unnecessary batted pass.  TE Watson was open but the ball was blocked down by the DE.

Just as I complement Little he drops a 3^rd and 10 pass.  I should know better than to give him some love.

=

OLB Robertson is doing a good job covering TEs.  He was on Gates for the 3^rd down pass.  Gates dropped it.

The Chargers get a 59 yard punt.  Sign the guy next year for the Browns.

–

The Browns are 2 of 9 on 3^rd down.  Make that 2 for 10.

3 and out for the Browns and they punt from the endzone.

At least Hodges got a good punt off for 50 yards.

=

JMJ again on the tackle.  He is playing well.

Meecham was WIDE open and he dropped the ball.  Again Ward was late on coverage in a blitz situation.

But another great punt puts the Browns on the 8.

–

Good run by TRich for a 3^rd and 2.

The Browns fail to covert and give the ball back inside their territory.

=

The Chargers are running right down the throats of the Browns D.

A brain cramp by the playcaller allowed the Browns to stop them.  They tried to do a reverse that lost 6 yards.  That was the only thing that prevented a TD.  I wonder if the Browns’ game plan blew over to the Chargers like it did against the Bengals.

CL7 SD 6

–

After another pass that is knocked down (and almost picked) the Browns get a 1^st down on a 22 yard complete to Little.  He is showing more FB IQ.  But then he holds a LB and you know he is not getting smarter.

Gordon gets the 1^st on a crossing route.  Nice pattern.

Browns are forced to call a TO because the play was late getting in.  In a one point game that is ridicules.

Weeden gets sacked which takes them out of FG range.

Good punt and great ST play gets the ball down to the 3.

=

Another pass to an RB gets the ball to a 3^rd and short situation.

A tough run goes for the 1^st at the 13.

The supposed weak O Line of SD steadly pushes the Browns back on runs.

Miava fails to cover the WR and SD gets another 1^st.

Ward makes a tackle but after the hit Mathews gets 4 more yards.  Ward does not rap up.

Good coverage by Haden allowed a stop.

–

Shumur was too busy arguing with the official to call the play and the team had to call a TO.

Hardesty fumbled but got the ball back.  That would have been the end.

The Browns move the ball a little but had to punt.  Now is when we see the BIG screw up that costs them a game.

=

The Chargers continue to throw to the RBs and move the ball from deep in their territory to the Browns’ 40.

DQ Jackson is just too slow recognizing a RB release and lacks the foot speed to cover effectively.

Rivers missed on a wide open TE at the 20.

Skrine makes the play of the day by tipping the ball away from the receiver on a 4^th down pass.

–

The Browns hold on to get the win.

Analysis

A win is always better than a loss.  But this game was won more by luck and a couple of good plays by the team than by planning of the coaching staff.  The Charger staff is as good as gone.  Turner should have been fired a couple of years ago when they still had a top D.  It is too late now to get a good coach and take the team to a title.  That ship has left the dock.

This win will not change the decision on keeping Shurmur by the new owner.  Jimmy Haslam realizes that it was due more to luck and a bad opponent than skill by the coaching staff.  The only thing that can save Shurmur would be to win 4 of the 8 games left on the schedule.  There is very little chance that will happen.

The win does hurt the chance for the Browns to get a top 2 draft pick.  That would be very valuable for a monster trade like the Rams got.  There will be several teams desperate to get a top QB prospect in the 2013 draft.  Two extra first and second round picks would help fill the holes in the roster.

Conclusion

This win is not a turnaround.  As I said after the win over the Bengals, this team is not ready to turn around.  It is getting better.  Weeden is improving more because of his game play rather than coaching.  He is a smart guy and seldom makes the same mistake twice.

The WRs are beginning to improve.  Gordon is emerging as the number one guy for the Browns.  He has a long way to go to become a legitimate NFL #1 guy but is developing.  He has the speed and athleticism to achieve that.  The O line is also improving.  One sack in the last 3 games is a vast improvement over the first 5 games.  The line has a long way to go blocking the run but it was no accident that the running game was better with Smith at H-back rather than Marecic.

The D is suffering with the injuries to the DTs.  Having both starters out hurt the team against the run.  Winn is going to be a star as I predicted before the draft.  The 3^rd round pick Hughes has played better than I expected.   But any team needs to have quality players to rotate into the line.  With the starters hurt the team lacked rotational players.

The LBs are playing better as well.  I am not a big fan of Maiava because he is too slow to cover in the zone effectively.  I do like both the young guys JMJ and Robertson.  Both show real potential.  Jackson is fine but is not getting any faster.  He lacks the speed to cover the new fast TEs down the seam of the 2 deep zone.

The D backfield is also improving somewhat.  Brown is doing his best but lacks the speed to play man coverage much.  The young guys are showing a little improvement.  Skrine has the speed but often struggles to make the tackle on big WRs.  The one star is Haden.  One of the top draft needs of the team is a top CB across from Haden.  That would have a huge impact on the pass coverage.

Overall the win was nice but it doesn’t mean a whole lot in terms of the season record.

That’s what I think.  Tell me what you think.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com.  He has also published several novels on and a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/.

He edits . Also listen to the best Sports Talk anywhere on the Internet and hear his sports show Monday-Thursday 6-7:30 PM EST on or http://mooheadradio.com/2.5/?page_id=21.  You can catch any interviews you missed on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/.

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Tune in to the Browns Half time show at Mooheadradio.com and the post game show at http://mooheadradio.com/2.5/?page_id=21

Eagles at Browns Game Time Notes

Great first call with a 28 yard pass to Gordon

Pinkston penalty  2^nd guy always gets caught

Smith can catch but cannot run the ball.  Great read by Weeden throwing the crossing route vs zone

Play was late coming in and the confusion by Weeden of the defense caused a TO

New owner Jimmy Hasslam has to worry about the empty seats in the stadium.

Make up call against the Eagles on the off side.

Hardesty does not have very good vision.   That is a problem.

Hardesty spinning is a problem as well.  He just doesn’t look like an NFL back to me

Weeden arm strength obvious on the pass to MoMass

The leakage on the right side is going to be a huge problem

MoMass needed to go a little further on the out route.

Good throw by Weeden.

It is hard to run wide against a wide 9 D.

Hardesty cannot give up that much yardage in the redzone

Holding against Pinkston shows a problem at guard.  He is better than early last year but has a long way to go.

Screen pass that went VERY BAD on the Weeden fumble.  Pinkston has to get a better block on a screen pass.  Thomas also gave up way too much ground.

=

Great play by D.  Good pass rush great coverage on the Haden pick off.

Great play recognition by Rubin on the pass rush.

–

Benjamin was open and Weeden missed him.

WAY too many 3^rd and long situations.  No Offense can be successful always facing 3^rd and 7 or more.

Incompletion to Little was as much on him as QB.   It looked like the ball was out before Little made his break

=7:51

Ward is doing a lot better job on covering this year.

Great read by DT Winn on the sweep cutting down the RB in the backfield.

Very solid coverage by DBs on 3^rd down.  Good pressure by Sheard.  Eagles were holding but that was not called.

–

Little recognizes the pressure and came back to help his QB.  He attacked the ball which is good to see.

Hardesty fumbles again.  Cannot have that.

=5:34

Haden great read on the screen.  He broke through and got the tackle.

JMJ lost track of the TE.  TD Philly. 0-7 4:18

–

O line false start really hurt.

Hardesty had lots of room outside on 2^nd down but didn’t see it.

3^RD and 15.

Browns O line cannot keep 2ND Philly D off Weeden.   Both OTs allow penetration and Thomas’ guy caused the fumble.

Punt blocked right up the gut.   Blocker was untouched.  Hanna let him in clean.

=2:43

TD Pass to Lewis vs Ward.  0-14 2:00

–

Cameron drops the ball on a sideline route.  Leakage over Schwartz again.

Another 4 yard pass on 3^rd and long.  Just cannot do that.

Schwartz gives up the sack.

2^nd quarter

It does not look like the Browns are ready to play.  Just missing critical blocks, lanes, and balls.

The O can’t move the ball vs the Eagles 2^nd unit at all.

Browns 2^nd D gets fooled by cut of WR Johnson.

Fort misses the tackle cleaned up by Robertson.

1^ST team CB Brown gets burned by speed for the near TD.

Rookie WR just missed getting the 2^nd foot down and did not hold the ball to the ground.

0-17 13:31

Jackson misses the pass right off his hands.  I thought he was supposed to be a pass catcher.

The run on 2nd and long will look better with TRich.

Great catch under pressure by Norwood for the 1^st.

Good run by Jackson.  He has better vision than Hardesty.

Weeden put some mustard on that ball.

Short corner fade was double covered.  Not a great read by Weeden.

Hunt comes off right side unblocked to force the fast throw.

Jackson runs right by hunt not noticing Hunt was coming to crush his QB.

3-17

–

DE Parker makes his debut with a great move.

DB Brown had no clue where he was or when the ball was coming

Parker gets through 2 blocks for the hurry.

JMJ gets REAL deep in the secondary to knock away the pass.

=

Way too many 3^rd and long situations because the Browns are not making good yardage on 1^st and 2nd down.

Great throw and catch Weeden to Gordon on the slant.

Benjamin reached too soon and it slowed him slightly to fail to catch the ball.

Pinkston crushes the right side of the D to get Jackson 9 yards

Bad combination of routes makes Gordon doubled.  They needed to send 2 receivers deep.

Schwartz never touched the DE and the pass was still good but incomplete.

–

Screen passes eat up the Browns.

The Eagles kick a field goal on 2^nd down with 48 seconds left.  WHY?

JMJ penalty was not that bad.  Sims picked the pass and scored but it was called back.

4 missed tackles on the Brown run.  Again contain is non-existent.

Hasslam looks like he has fire.  Shurmur had dead eyes.

JMJ caused the fumble but the Eagles recover.

The 3^rd string of the Eagles marched the ball right down the field and scored

3-24 6:54

Thomas has much better vision and speed than Hardesty or Jackson

Great pass by McCoy to Winsor for 23 yards

Pass blocking is non-existant.

Eagles are covering very well.

Daniels takes a penalty making it 3^rd and 16.

Good job by McCoy to get 12 yards to make it 4^th 4.

Play VERY late coming in.  McCoy didn’t see the play clock running down.

McCoy runs for the 1^st.

RBs get hit just as they get the ball.

McCoy gets hit as he throws.  3^rd 12.

Thomas catches the ball and gets 9 yards after contact for the 1^st.

Moore has great feet and hands.  But he can’t block a lick.  10-24

=

In the 2^nd half there were a lot of empty seats.

Foles did very well as the QB of the Eagles.  He burned the Browns D like it was dried leaves.

Edwards looked good as well.  Shaffering got a nice pass rush to force a hurry on a 3^rd and 2 pass.

–

First throw by Wallace is into triple coverage and is picked.

Edwards has the guts to stand in against pressure.  He might be the 3^rd QB for Philly.

After the pick, the Eagles score AGAIN.

We are not that far away.  All we need is an offense, a defense and some special teams.

Final thoughts:

The Browns are not a good team.  The Offensive line is a major worry.  If they can’t protect Weeden the Offense will not progress.

The WRs are a concern as well.  The group is very young and has trouble running the disciplined routes that the West Coast Offense demands.  There is also an issue catching the ball.  That has to improve to let Weeden thrive.

The running game will get better.  Several holes were there but the combination of Hardesty and Jackson either could not see them or just couldn’t get there.  Richardson will make the running game work much better.  It will also help the team move the chains with a 3 yard pass to TRich on a 3^rd and long.

The D has played well.  The O put them in bad positions allowing the Eagles to score 17 points by moving the ball less than 30 yards.  That is not acceptable.

The D line has done OK despite the injury to Taylor.  The rookie DTs are playing better than expected.  The LBs are an issue.  The team needs to get Jackson back and at 100 percent.  Johnson looks the part on the outside.  He has the speed that last year’s starters outside lacked.

The big issue in the backfield is the potential suspension of Haden.  If he is suspended the Browns will be burned often by the long pass.

The team is going to get better as the season progresses but this is no more than a 5 win team given the schedule, the youth of the roster and the coaching.  As a long time Browns fan, I wish I had better news but I have to be honest with my readers and listeners on NNR.  That is about all we can expect.  Anything better will be a major move in the right direction.

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Be part of the show by calling our SportSims.com hotline at 216-539-0607.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits https://fryingpansports.com and was a senior writer for .  He has also published several novels on and a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/.

He edits .  

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Where do the Browns go from here?

The Browns are now 3-5 and their chances of winning any more games are small.  They might steal a win from either the Jags or the Rams but the way they are playing there is no chance they can win any of their last 5 games.  Even the trip to the Cards on week 15 seems like an impossible win.

So the question is what do they do now and how do they proceed to prepare for 2012?  Here
is a plan.  The D has played fairly well despite being pushed around last week by the Texans.  The big issues are on offense.

1.  The key issue is can the team win with Colt McCoy at QB?  I think they have decided that the QB must be replaced.  But this team is not likely to draft a QB in the first round.  The problem is this—When you pick a 2^nd or 3^rd round QB you get a guy with a great arm that could not hit the state of Ohio from downtown Columbus or a guy with good to very good accuracy but no stronger arm than McCoy’s.            Will  either of those guys do the Browns any good?   Probably not.  The Browns  have been the great arm 0 accuracy route with Anderson.
2. They need to limit the playbook to the shotgun formations, go 2 TE 1 RB, and put Cribbs in motion as the flanker to  help Colt get a better pre-snap read of the D.  That will also allow him an additional half second to throw the  ball.  The WRs MUST run more accurate patterns and all plays that require the WR to stop and wait for the ball must  be eliminated from the playbook.  The West Coast Offense depends on hitting a moving WR with a short pass then  generating additional yards after the catch.
3. Sign RB Hillis with FB money.  They MUST draft a RB high in 2012.  They let FB Vickers go and so far FB Marecic is a big time bust.
   He will not get any offer from another team because he is a one year wonder.  His injuries this year have eliminated
   any market value he might have otherwise had.  He is a victim of too many carries last season and the Madden
   Curse.  He is a good kid that has been in limbo all season due to injuries and his pending free agency.  If he refuses to sign a reasonable deal, the team should put him on IR and see what they can do next season.  He has been a valuable FB and can be
   again.  He catches the ball well and is an effective blocker.
4. Promote RB Smith from the practice squad and start him.   He is the only back with any speed.
   He can be very effective running draws and sweeps out of the gun.  He has the speed to break a wheel route or
   draw for big yards as well.
5. Put WR Massaquoi on IR.  He has suffered 3 concussive episodes in the last 2 games.  He needs to go on IR to protect his health.  I am not sure if he will ever be an effective WR but he must be healthy before the team can determine his long term ability to help the team.
6. Put both WRs Norwood and Mitchell must get on the field.  Norwood has shown he can get open and catch
   the ball in the few opportunities he has had.   Mitchell is the only WR with great speed and size.  He must get a shot because this team has no one that can stretch the D.  They should  check on getting one more vet WR from those available.  Even WR Moss would help the team this year and help the evaluation of McCoy by providing a reliable guy that still has the speed to get deep and stretch the D.  A vet would also help develop the younger guys.  Say what you want about Moss.  He has a work ethic that no one questions.
7. Most important, Pres. Mike Holmgren is going to have to take a much more active roll n the team.  HC Shurmur has proven that
   the combination of his duties of both HC and offensive coordinator are WAY too uch for him to handle.  He has held onto
   the job of OC because he is comfortable with that function.  He has failed to supervise the correction the pecial teams’ issues and the execution of the O has been abysmal.  Holmgren has to do the parts of the HC job that Shurmur cannot or will not do.
   Holmgren put his desire to be in the Hall of Fame on the line with his hire of Shurmur.  Now he has to step in
   to prevent the entire franchise and his hopes for election to the HOF from going up in flames.
8. The team needs to draft a RB and a fast WR in the first round of the 2012 draft.  Given a 4 or 5 win season, they
   may be in a position to take RB Richardson of Alabama.  That would give them a combination of speed
   and power the team has not had since Hall of Fame RB Leroy Kelly.  They should take a QB with the 2^nd
   round pick.  At this point it is possible that QB might be Griffin (Baylor) or Cousins (Michigan St.).  Both of these players have issues but would be a great improvement over the Browns current backup.
9. The team MUST be more active in free agency in 2012.  This team has multiple needs on D and O that
   no amount of draft choices can fill.  Here is the problem with the draft only philosophy of the Browns.  By the time that you finally have enough good picks to fill the holes you will lose the 2009 and 2010 picks because they will be tired of losing and hearing “rebuilding is a process.”  If the team is not at least 8-8 by the end of 2012 it risks losing the fan base as well.   No team has been as inept and badly run over the last decade as the Browns.  Even the Bengals have won the division and gone to the playoffs in the last 5 years.  This fan base is dwindling because the team since its return in 1999 has been a disaster.

These moves will not do a lot of good in generating wins this year.  But this team is not going anywhere this season.  The one sure
full time job in sports talk in Northeast Ohio is the NFL Draft analyst.  Because within 2 or 3 weeks of the beginning of the season the fans are wondering what we should do with our early draft pick the next year.  The draft is the Browns fans’ Super Bowl because it is the only thing we have to look forward to.

That’s what I think.   What do you think?

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent.

He is a senior writer for and edits https://fryingpansports.com. He has also published several novels on http://www.eBooks-Library.com/Contemporary/ and a non-fiction work at http://www.merriam-press.com/.

He edits http://fryingpanpolitics.org/.  Also listen to the best Sports Talk anywhere on the Internet and hear
his sports show Monday-Friday 6-8 PM EST on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/
or http://mooheadradio.com/2.0/.   You can be part of the show by calling our Herbalife Hotline at 216-539-0607.

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